James Lester
Younger Storybooks Series 2 Older Novels Series 3 Pre-Series 4 Webisodes Primeval Evolved Series 4 |Actor/Actress = Ben Miller }} Since becoming the government go-between in charge of the ARC, career civil servant James Lester has come to realise that his team are fighting a dangerous battle - and he'll do anything to protect them. Bio Sir James Peregrine Lester is a Home Office official, ultimately responsible for the team of scientists charged with investigating the appearance of time anomalies. In the original timeline he was a rather distant administrator, who employed Claudia Brown as his liaison with the anomaly response team. However, in the altered timeline following Claudia's disappearance, he is the head of the new Anomaly Research Centre. Despite being married with three children, he never discusses his family – in fact he rarely admits he even has one. He only sees them at weekends, and has an apartment in London which he uses during the working week. Lester owns over 50 suits; all dark colours, all made to measure. He teams these with colourful ties. Someone told him once that that it was trendy – an image that he’s keen to promote. Series 1Edit Episode 1.1Edit He's been given the task of uncovering the secrets of the anomalies and preventing mass panic. He’s the ideal man for the job. As far as he’s concerned the government knows best and the public has no right to know anything. He is arrogant, sarcastic and ruthless and makes no bones about his dislike of Nick Cutter (or anyone for that matter). He tends to regard the anomaly response team as "amateurs" but tolerates their lack of professionalism since, by his own admission, they are nevertheless very good at what they do. Claudia Brown first met him after she brought in Nick Cutter and Abby Maitland to sign official secrets act documents, stating he was in charge of the situation. He was suspicious of Cutter, and wondered if he was behind the Anomaly phenomenon, but accepted his theories. He had his own scientists perform tests on the prehistoric lizard-creature named Rex, and was disgusted he he flew around and secreted on his suit's shoulder. Once the tests on rex returned, he allowed Cutter to go through the Anomaly to try find his wife and to retun the creatures, but sent Captain Tom Ryan to accompany him. When Cutter returned, he was sympathetic of the loss of Cutter's wife Helen Cutter, and assumed the situation was at an end, but Cutter disagreed. Episode 1.2Edit Episode 1.3Edit Episode 1.4Edit Episode 1.6Edit Series 2EditAdded by Doomlurker Episode 2.1Edit In the new timeline, Lester runs the ARC where his team have moved to. He doesn't beieve Cutter's claims that the timeline is different after his return through the Permian Anomaly, thinking he is begining to loose his mind. His assistant, Oliver Leek, annoys him constantly by speaking out of term and questions the Minister's desicion to appoint a PR representative to assist in the operation, but warmed to the idea when Cutter informed him of Raptors in a shopping centre. he later introduces the PR, Jenny Lewis to the team. Episode 2.2Edit . Episode 2.4Edit . Episode 2.5Edit . Episode 2.6Edit When a Future Predator was smuggled into the ARC, Lester took up arms, alone, to combat the lethal creature, tearing into it's body with several rounds of an M249. Failing to kill the predator through firepower, he went on to free the columbian mammoth from it's holding pen, which promply killed the creature via impaling. Angered by Oliver Leek's remarks and comments, Lester travelled personally to the building where Leek was supposedly hiding out. However, Leek once again had the upper hand, trumping Lester once more by leaving the remote used to control the future predator in a completely abandoned building. Attached was a note of mockery, which simply read: "Bad Luck". Furious, Lester shut off the body camera on one of his soldiers that was focused on him. Episode 2.7Edit . Series 3Edit Episode 3.1Edit In series three, Lester is faced with a dilemma when his fellow civil servent Christine Johnson appears as military liaison for the ARC. . Episode 3.3Edit . Episode 3.4Edit Following Cutter's death, he appoints Jenny to take over the team until a replacement could be found. He seemed unsympathetic to Abby and Connor, but told Jenny it was better that they work because it would keep their minds focused. Episode 3.5Edit When he first arrives at the ARC, he mocks Connor for keeping so many spare clothes in his office, unaware he was currently living in it. He was furious with Connor when he learnt one of his pet Diictodonts had chewed through a Anomaly Detector cable, and Christine Johnson chose that moment to come to the ARC for a tour. He did so reluctantly, and when she later asked if they knew where the Artifact was, he denied knowing. He took much pride in sending Christine away when one of her men had become infected with the fungus and died. Lester watched the attempts to stop the fungus from replicating inside the ARC, and Jenny and Danny's confrontation with the fungus creature. Afterwards, he appoints Danny to be the new team leader after Jenny decided to leave, and did so in front of Christine to spite her, as she had wanted her own bodyguard, Captain Wilder to take the position. At the end, Lester, who is displeased with Connor's breach of health and safety guidlines by living in the ARC, allows him to stay with him until he can find somehwere else. Episode 3.6Edit . Episode 3.8Edit . Added by ZEM Episode 3.9Edit . Series 4Edit Lester is still as dry and sarcastic as ever this series. He secretly (and sometimes not so secretly) begrudges dealing with Philip, but for all his flaws, Lester is committed to the ARC. Beneath his sardonic exterior he cares about the people working for him, even if he rarely shows it. Lester and Matt haven’t had the easiest of relationships, but they bond over their growing distrust of Philip. Why did he really take the job of helping to run the ARC? Gallery :Also see: Category:Images of James Lester Lester, James Peregrine Lester, James Peregrine Lester, James Lester, James Lester James